At last, after passing through an area shrouded in mist, a majestic hall appeared before them.
The hall towered into the clouds, grand and imposing, as though it were the dwelling of ancient gods.
Its walls were built from enormous stone blocks, each one carved with exquisite patterns: mythical beasts from legend, mysterious runes, and intricate formations.
Chen Ping and Liu Xue slowly approached the hall. The great doors were tightly shut, covered in complex runes and designs that radiated a powerful restrictive force.
Chen Ping studied the runes on the doors carefully and discovered they were closely linked to those they had encountered in the stone forest.
“It seems we must break the rune restriction on these doors to open them.”
With that, he closed his eyes again and began calculating the secrets of the runes in his mind.
Liu Xue stood quietly beside him, her gaze fixed on the doors, filled with both anticipation and nervousness.
After strenuous effort and repeated attempts, Chen Ping finally found the way to undo the restriction.
He swiftly formed hand seals, chanting incantations under his breath. Streams of light shot from his palms towards the runes on the doors.
As the light flickered, the runes began to shift. The once tightly interlocked lines loosened, and a tremendous force surged from within the doors.
“Now!” Chen Ping shouted. He pushed hard with both hands, and the great doors slowly swung open.
An ancient, mysterious aura rushed out, as though ushering them into an entirely new world.
The interior of the hall was vast and brightly lit. The floor was paved with smooth marble etched with all manner of enigmatic patterns and runes.
Around the edges stood numerous colossal statues, each different in form: some solemn and dignified, others unfathomable, as if they guarded the hall’s secrets.
At the very centre stood a huge stone platform. Upon it rested an ancient book that glowed with golden light.
Chen Ping and Liu Xue walked slowly towards the platform, their eyes locked on the book. They could sense that it contained boundless mysteries and immense power.
“Could this be the legendary supreme treasure of the Tianmen Mountain ruins?” Liu Xue whispered, excitement shining in her eyes.
Chen Ping nodded. “Very likely, but we must still be cautious. There may yet be hidden dangers in this hall.”
Just as they reached out for the book, a deep rumbling suddenly echoed through the hall and the ground began to shake violently.
Immediately afterwards, beams of black light shot out from all around, converging to form a massive black vortex.
A powerful and malevolent aura poured from the vortex, sending chills down their spines.
“Danger!”
Chen Ping yelled, instantly pulling Liu Xue behind him. At the same time he formed seals, ready to meet whatever was coming.
A figure slowly emerged from the black vortex: a mysterious person clad in black robes, their face shrouded in dark mist so that no features could be seen.
“Who are you? How dare you trespass in the Tianmen Mountain ruins!”
The mysterious person’s voice was low and hoarse, as though it came from the depths of hell.
Chen Ping stared at him fearlessly. “We stumbled upon this place by chance and mean no harm. However, we are determined to take the ancient book in this hall.”
The mysterious person gave a cold laugh. “With just the two of you? You think you can take this book? Delusional! I have guarded this treasure for years. Neither of you will leave with it today!”
With those words, the figure waved both hands. Waves of black energy surged towards Chen Ping and Liu Xue.
Chen Ping instantly unleashed his spiritual power, forming a protective barrier around Liu Xue.
At the same time he rapidly formed seals. Powerful bolts of spiritual energy shot out like arrows, colliding head-on with the black waves.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out. The spiritual energy and black waves cancelled each other out, erupting in a blinding burst of light.
